2007 Cadillac STS V8 WORST RIDE QUALITY! Help!

I'm in a jam here. I LOOVE my 2007 Cadillac STS V8 RWD, F55 Magenride, with Sport Suspension, I believe FE3. It's what I believe to be on of the rarer cars, 6 Lug Wheels and Hubs, which I've been told is from the CTS V, but mine are stock. Brembo Brakes front and rear. Not a V. All stock. EG Grille and Body Kit.
I love this car, but this is the worst ride quality I've ever felt in my life. I'm a used car dealer and I drove every type of 05-07 STS they sell prior to buying this one. MagneRide and Standard. All of which rode acceptable to me. Some better than others. I purchased this one, cheap, assuming the suspension was bad. 3 Cadillac dealers later, 2 independent shops later, all I've been told is my suspension is perfectly fine. As I said I'm a car dealer, and I drive more than my fair share of vehicles. Never in my life have I been in a car that rides so poorly. Even at 10mph, it absorbs no impact. Every bump shakes the entire vehicle. I feel no difference between Touring and Perf. modes. No leaks. No error codes.
My questions are as follows. Does anyone else feel the same way about their STS? Is there some mysterious issue that can go un detected to cause this? Am I just SOL? If this is "Just how it rides." Which I truly just do not believe. If that is so, is it possible or feasible, to convert this car to a softer suspension, say base FE1/FE2, but using a simulator computer and base STS suspension setup, magnetic or not.
I love everything about this car, minus the ride quality. I don't mind spending the dough to do the swap properly, if it's possible. As I said, I purchased this car at a steal of a price, from a man that just needed the cash.
Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you!sts.jpg

Re: 2007 Cadillac STS V8 WORST RIDE QUALITY! Help!

I have to disagree, we just had a nice 2003 STS on the lot with MRC. I've had a few now to date. 180,000 miles to boot, and though it's not plush as a CVRSS car like my DHS, it's still a very comfortable ride. In all honesty, I would be exceptionally pleased with that type of ride quality LoL. I would be very pleased with just the base 05-07 STS suspension. Compared to the way this 2007 rides, a 2003 with MRC is truly a BOAT ride. LoL

Re: 2007 Cadillac STS V8 WORST RIDE QUALITY! Help!

No, I was talking about a 2003 sts I have on my lot with 180k. My 07 sts only has 70k. I just recently replaced the tires with a really soft compound, especially built for ride quality hoping that would help. I was hoping the struts were bad, but 5 different places have told me otherwise. The worst part is for that harsh of a ride the car doesn't handle exceptionally well. Always feels like it's skating over bumps, not stuck to the road as I've heard my suspension package should do.

Maybe it has the wrong springs. Is the ride height too high. I had a 4runner that felt like it had wheels made of stone. I pulled out the last two leaf springs from the aftermarket heavy duty rear springs and it was at least driveable. The magnetic suspension could certainly be at fault but that would probably set a code. As a dealership mechanic at Toyota I have seen some very obscure hard to pin down issues that don't throw codes. Things like swapped vacuum lines or swapped wires in a plug housing can cause wired issues. It may be painful but you might be better off throwing on 4 standard non magnetic struts and springs and leaving the suspension light blinking to regain ride quality or just sell it.

Re: 2007 Cadillac STS V8 WORST RIDE QUALITY! Help!

Karsntrux, What size tires, Brand of tires & air pressure. On a smooth road how is the ride, Any viberation .Once I had one tire on my truck repaired & rebalance, that wheel jumped like crazy. Taken to another shop and balance again. It was fine after that. Danny

Re: 2007 Cadillac STS V8 WORST RIDE QUALITY! Help!

If this car has the rare factory option (available only on 2007 Platinum and by special order on later cars) with the V brakes & hubs, it's the highest performance suspension available on any STS; MRC isn't available on the V. Sell it emphasizing the Performance angle over Luxury.

I'd be really surprised if the MRC shocks were bad w/o leaking or setting an idiot light.

If you're intent on blunting the handling and softening the ride, Danny has the solution. Replace the tires with higher profile and sofeter compounds and lower the pressures. On my AWD w' MRC, I sometimes run as low as 29 front & 28 back.

Sorry you don't appreciate it. If Platinums had ACC, I'd have some interest.

Re: 2007 Cadillac STS V8 WORST RIDE QUALITY! Help!

Always feels like it's skating over bumps, not stuck to the road as I've heard my suspension package should do.

Hmmmm, someting is defainately wrong with the suspension if it feels like you describe.

Surprisingly, I found dealerships don't seem to know much about the vehicles they service.

I'm getting ready to rebuild the suspension on my Escalade because the ride is so bad. Two different GM dealerships, one Caddy and one Chevy dealership said nothing is wrong. I've driven a couple of Escalades and a Denali neither had the ride quality problems I have. I also found my steering box to have play in it and cured quite a bit of problems I had with it by making a slight adjustment to it.

I just finished rebuilding the suspension on my 98 Olds Aurora. No shops found any issues with it but when I removed the front struts and set them aside with no weight sitting on them I saw the strut compress itself, I could pull and push the strut like a plunger, absolutely no resistance. I also found the control arms loose and the sway bar bushing cracked and compressed.

I rebuilt the suspension on my previous SUV, an 02 Trailblazer. Nobody found anything wrong with the suspension but after I rebuilt it, it rode and handled like a brand new vehicle.

If it's floating and feeling disconnected from the road then it sounds like struts to me.

Maybe it has the wrong springs. Is the ride height too high. I had a 4runner that felt like it had wheels made of stone. I pulled out the last two leaf springs from the aftermarket heavy duty rear springs and it was at least driveable. The magnetic suspension could certainly be at fault but that would probably set a code. As a dealership mechanic at Toyota I have seen some very obscure hard to pin down issues that don't throw codes. Things like swapped vacuum lines or swapped wires in a plug housing can cause wired issues. It may be painful but you might be better off throwing on 4 standard non magnetic struts and springs and leaving the suspension light blinking to regain ride quality or just sell it.

Re: 2007 Cadillac STS V8 WORST RIDE QUALITY! Help!

Thank you all for the great replies. I'm running sumitomo tour plus lsw 2454518 not z rated. At 28 lbs/tire. If you look at my pic here the car sits much higher in the rear than most that I see. The car doesn't float at all actually. It doesn't bounce. It's super stiff and absorbs no shock whatsoever even the tiniest bumps send shock waves through the entire car. Even when I drive it hard and corner hard it doesn't handle very well. Any bump while cornering at speed sends the rear end sideways and triggers stability. It always feels like its skating on ice. I can drive my corvette 90 mph over a bump on 270 and its fine. I go over that same bump at 60 in the Sts and it sends me 4 inches above my seat. Car doesn't bounce but no impact is absorbed and it makes me fly out of my seat. It's very harsh. Thanks for all the info guys.